1. Technical Field
The following embodiments relate generally to a vehicle emergency notification apparatus and method and, more particularly, to a vehicle emergency notification apparatus and method using an external terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Current vehicle accident notification systems, for example, an e-Call system, adopt a scheme in which, when an accident occurs, a voice call is connected to a control center, such as a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), using a device embedded in a vehicle (e.g. an In-Vehicle System; IVS), and in which a Minimum Set of Data (MSD) related to the accident is transmitted.
Therefore, a problem arises in that vehicles that were released without being equipped with such an IVS, which includes most vehicles, cannot use an e-Call function.
Further, the conventional scheme, which connects a voice call to the PSAP after the IVS has detected an accident, requires the intervention of operating personnel of the PSAP in order to respond to a voice call even for accidents that do not need emergency response support, thus resulting in a large load on the operation of the PSAP.
In relation to e-Call, related technologies are disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-1183844 and Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2014-0059933.